Global banking, made safe in Poland

Standard Chartered has established a large team of cybersecurity, anti-money laundering, and financial crime compliance specialists in Poland. What motivated the decision to create such a hub here?

Anna Urbańska: We have seen a growing demand from the Standard Chartered Group to run robust activities in those fields, motivated by the increasingly complex regulations and the evolving threat landscape. This need turned out to be very well mapped with the market scan of the talent in Poland – we were able to find top specialists with the skills and expertise that matched the group’s requirements. Once we convinced the stakeholders that Poland is the right place to develop those teams, we have seen a huge spike of financial crime compliance and cybersecurity roles being opened here – and we were able to effectively fill them with our excellent colleagues and talented experts from the market.

What did the process of building a cybersecurity team in Poland involve?

Przemysław Jaroszewski: Cybersecurity notoriously has to deal with talent shortage – the limited pool of specialists creates a challenge in recruitment. Standard Chartered focused on hiring the best of the best – top specialists in the cybersecurity field – who would be like magnets, attracting other talents. Another important aspect is the cross-training offered to colleagues from other areas who express interest in cybersecurity and can develop the skills needed to succeed in a new role.

AU: We are proud of our internal-first policy: 50% of job openings are filled by existing employees who want to take the next step and develop in a new area. Everyone’s career path is different, and I often see colleagues moving from financial crime compliance teams to risk or cybersecurity. We focus on showing each other what opportunities are open, what other teams are doing and what skills are required to get a role in each field.

How does the Polish office align with the Bank’s global structure and digital security strategy? What benefits does having an office in Poland provide?

AU: Poland, as the bank’s westernmost global business services centre, and the only one located in Europe, allows convenient collaboration with stakeholders from various geographical locations. Thanks to the follow-the-sun model, we can work together with our centres in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The broad talent pool is highly specialised, well-educated, and possesses language skills that are important for cooperation with international partners. At the same time, the costs of work are still competitive.

PJ: Poland is valued for our mindset – our colleagues aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. We don’t accept sub-par solutions and can proactively suggest ideas for continuous improvements. In conversations with stakeholders, I often see how impressed they are with the competence level of our experts, combined with a can-do attitude, feeling of ownership for processes, being able to drive them end-to-end, and remaining flexible and adaptable to fast-paced changes.

How to maintain a high level of coordination among teams in different countries?

AU: Standard Chartered is present in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets, so seamless cooperation between various locations is critical. Number one priority is effective communication, as well as sharing tasks in a smart way. When deciding what should be done where, we focus on the value proposition of each location: availability of certain skills, costs or simply the geographical location and timezone. Proper systems and workflows are necessary to ensure that work is handed over smoothly, but when done right, the outcome is amazing.

Automation is transforming the field of shared-services centres, and some processes are moving to other locations. How does cybersecurity fit into this?

PJ: Increasingly more processes and services are fully digitalised and rely on technology. This creates a growing demand for cybersecurity services to ensure this technology remains reliable and resilient to cyber threats, and Standard Chartered continues to be a trusted partner for our clients. No big technology player can catch up with this demand without automation, including onboarding emerging technologies like big data and AI. Still, humans play a significant role in this transformation, as their roles become more important in decision making and expert solutioning rather than basic operations. This fits well with Polish centre’s offering to the Bank, so we welcome the transformation with excitement!

What global trends are shaping cybersecurity changes, and what are the biggest challenges in ensuring long-term business resilience against attacks?

PJ: The biggest challenge for cyber security is staying abreast with the speed of adoption of new technologies. The role of cyber security services is to support business in delivering secure and trusted products for our clients. This means that everyone needs to move at the same speed, constantly learning and adopting – both to changing technology, and to attack methods of threat actors. This is also what makes cybersecurity so exciting.

What does the future for the Standard Chartered in Poland look like, which areas have the greatest potential for further development?

AU: We will keep focusing on the hub’s main pillars, where we can deliver most value to the Bank globally – financial crime compliance, cybersecurity, treasury and liquidity. Our ambition is to provide increased support for the growing client base in Europe and the Americas. To meet this demand, we are looking to further invest in advanced technological solutions – which combined with the human capital and deep expertise will position Poland as a driver of reliable and future-ready international banking processes.